FAQ - How to water any area
Let us help you watering any type of plants you have and in any area.
ASK A QUESTION
I have a very sandy soil on a reasonably steep slope with a fruit and veg cage 10m x 10m. Is leaky pipe suitable for very sandy soil? How wide an area can be watered from a single leaky pipe run in very sad conditions on a slope?-
Yes, you definitely can use LeakyPipe in sandy soils, in fact it is a classic situation for it. The amount of water "spread" is defined by the soil type & structure. On Sandy soils the spread will be more narrow, so I would advise that you place LeakyPipe close to the subjects you wish to water. In this case, close to the root zone of row crops. (The roots will tend to "hunt" the moisture that is applied and ween-onto the moist zone).
You mention a slope. It may not be a problem to solve. It really depends on the vertical drop between the highest point and the lowest point within the area you are looking to water, at one time. For example, If it is 2metres, it is unlikely that the rise in pressure on the lowest pipe, through the static height difference, will make a great deal of difference in the water applied. (There will be a difference, but in the circumstances, it could be tolerable). If it was to occur, the answer is to simply design divisions into your layout so you can water high "zones" separately from Middle & Low zones. Do you see what I mean?
You could just try it and see. After all, with this system, you can take it apart and re-engineer it to suit, without loosing hardly anything.
I have an apple garden with 6000 trees, 12 years old. Is it possible to use leaky pipe in my apple garden?+
Yes, you definitely can use LeakyPipe® to water fruit trees. This is something we started doing here in 1986 at Frith Farm and Culls Farm (and is still in use today). After a short test period, we installed the pipes, subsurface. One pipe/ tree row or two pipes/large tree row.
In order to help you with design, I would like to know what your tree spacing is, please.
Looking to water a strip of grass along the side of long window (20m) with foot traffic. Can I bury Leaky pipe under the grass surface?+
Yes, you certainly can. It was originally designed for the purpose of sub-surface installation and has proven to keep working, year on year. I suggest it is always good to team this up with some sort of timer device so you can program the watering. (You won't want it on constantly).
What system and spacing choose? For 8 rows of vines in east Kent approximately 30m long and spacings of 1.5m between plants and 2 m between rows+
Either a single lateral (or "Line"), of LeakyPipe®, laid down each row, or perhaps a line on both sides. (The latter os probably O.T.T.) All LeakyPipe lines then teed into 20mm polytube "supply" pipe, using 20-12-20mm barbed reducing tees. Ideally, feed the water supply into the middle of the polytube "manifold" and turn-on. The network will fill-up an quickly work all-at-once. (Of course, you do have to plug off the ends of the LeakyPipe and the polytube manifold). As this is a long-term cropping situation: Once you've seen it working, we would recommend that you place the LeakyPipe into the soil as this is better for the water distribution and keeps the LeakyPipe® away from husbandry operations.
Phone us if you wish to discuss further.
I have an area with a lot of Planters. What do I do?+
Planters that have drainage built into them, can be watered with LeakyPipe. Just install about twice as much Leaky as you would in a border and connect the Leaky to a supply pipe polytube "Riser” that has been brought up through the planter. The riser is usually 'tee-ed' into a polytube "main” that is running horizontally, perhaps under the planter/s to connect the planters together. Because of the "hard” nature of the building works of a planter-based design, we recommend that 20 or 25mm MDPE "Blue” pipe or similar is used. This is because it is tough and will stand more abuse while being installed as a part of the hard-works. Compression to barbed fittings will then be needed to create the connection between the blue pipe and the LeakyPipe.
Typical planter designs need small amounts of water, very frequently, so this is the approach you should have when setting up your watering times.
I have a Hedge to water. How do I approach this problem?+
If it’s a newly planted hedgeline, just lay out the LeakyPipe along the line, near to the stems. If it’s a staggered, two row planting design or you are planting large hedge subjects, consider laying a "Tramline” of two lengths of LeakyPipe. One for both lines or on either side of the larger hedge plants.
Discover the most reliable hedge irrigation system.
The connection to the LeakyPipe can be made at the end of the laterals, (if there’s a slope, ideally at the top end).
Even better and especially if you want to water a hedge that is over 100metre long, connect the water supply pipe into the middle, bisecting the laterals. Where this is possible, it is good practice because it can help balance the "system” and do a lot of watering, easily and all at once. Then add a Timer! Consider this way you can be watering 200metres of hedgeline, all at once and so easily.
(See the Garden Design Videos available on this website).
I need to water a Maze+
Mazes are difficult to water by conventional methods, but it doesn’t have to be with LeakyPipe. Just form a ring main of supply pipe polytube around the perimeter of the Maze. From this, run supply polytube from the mid-point of each side, into and meet in the middle of the maze. (From above, it would divide the Maze into a "Battenburg” type of design). The water source can be fed into any part of this network of supply pipe polytubes,LeakyPipe is installed, perhaps in the soil alongside the plants.
LeakyPipe can be 'tee-ed' into the closest supply pipe to water the various sections of maze hedging. Imagine the saving from watering this problem area accurately with the bonus of not interrupting the use of the maze?
If I sent you a plan of the area, can you advise me?+
Yes, we can. We can’t tell you everything you need, but we can give you good ideas.
Commercial Schemes are likely to need creation of zones and to accommodate other hard landscaping features, so you can certainly contact us for advice and estimates.
What would you suggest for an enclosed Courtyard area?+
Enclosed courtyards can create peculiar micro-climates within themselves. Especially if the walls or buildings that surround them are tall. Please look for the Courtyard Discussion on our video "Design Information for Designers and Contractors". It may be very relevant to divide the courtyard watering system up into four 'Zones' to water separately and cater for very differing requirements (dry hot zone, cool shaded zone etc).
We also provide you with a useful guide to set up your Leaky Pipe system in an enclosed Courtyard.
What would you suggest for watering a Vegetable Garden?+
Fruit & Veg’ gardens lend themselves to a lot of short lengths of LeakyPipe, laid either along the rows, or between close-spaced rows, each 'tee-ed' into a supply polytube "manifold” pipe.
Each take-off could have a in-line tap incorporated in the pipework so you can isolate individual lines when desired, without turning off the rest of the system.
Our catalog provides you with designed vegetable garden watering kits in various sizes, including isolation in-line taps.
Check out our guide on watering a vegetable garden.
Can I lay LeakyPipe on a Sedum Roof?+
Yes, you definitely can. Roofing Contractors do install a network of Leaky Pipe LP12RF on the roofing felt layer, just prior to rolling out the sedum matting or other, thin, layer of root-zone material. Sometimes, drought-affected green roofs are retro-fitted with LeakyPipe on the surface of the matting. It works, even though you see the Leaky Pipe for a short time while the plants grow with the watering and cover the pipe.
How do I use LeakyPipe on a steep embankment?+
LeakyPipe (LP12L) with a lower leak rate is recommended for green walls and steep embankments. The LeakyPipe is laid out as horizontal laterals incorporated into the batters at 500-1000mm centers. The supply pipe manifold is run down the face of the slope, at a roughly central position. A pressure regulator is placed in the supply as it tees into the manifold. A Pressure regulator is needed for every vertical drop of 4metres. This is to help ensure that all the LeakyPipes work similarly. On some of the taller walls, where the watering is automated, upper, mid, and lower layers of the wall become "Zones” where the watering times can be adjusted to apply more water at the top than the bottom.
Leaky Pipe on a Riding Arena or Sand Menage?+
Yes, we have developed a package that we install into new sand-based Arenas.
This involves a Leaky Pipe we make specifically for this purpose and install it, together with all that’s needed to control the watering.
Would you like to know more? Discover our perfect floor-watering system for your riding arena.
